Some things are sooooo good, they should only come in small bites.  It leaves you wanting more but gives you the opportunity to nibble on a delectable piece of sweetness and not have the guilt that goes along with eating a huge piece of dessert. These beyond heavenly cherry almond mini-cakes are in a category all their own, and could be enjoyed after dinner as a mini dessert or perfect for a classroom of children. ENJOY!!!!!!

Ingredients for Cherry Almond Mini-Cakes:

• 10 – tablespoons of butter
• 7 – ounces of almond paste
• 1 – cup sugar
• 1- cup flour
• 1/2 – teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 – egg whites
• 1 – teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 – teaspoon almond extract
• 32 – Melissa’s Produce cherries (pitted)
• 32 – mini cupcake holders

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan over a low flame melt butter. Stir every so often until butter is slightly browned. Remove from heat and place to the side to cool for 15 minutes.
2. In a mixer add almond paste and mix on medium speed to break up paste for 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl add sugar, flour and salt and mix together. then add to the almond paste and continue to mix for 3 minutes. Until most of almond paste is incorporated. If you see that some pieces of almond paste are much bigger then others. Stop the mixer and break them up with your hands, by grinding your fingers together to form small grains of almond paste.
4. Then pour browned butter into almond paste flour mixture, and mix till combined.
5. Add in egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix on medium for 3 minutes. Then turn mixer off and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven for 400 degrees fahrenheit. Line mini cupcake tins with paper liners and set to the side. Pit the cherries and set to the side.
7. Fill each paper liner with 1 tablespoon of almond paste batter, then stick a cherry in the middle of each cup. 
8. Bake for 14 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
9. ENJOY!

Ever fall hopelessly head over heels in love with flan?  The type of love where you have tunnel vision, and all your surroundings just fade to black because all you could think about is your flan?  I had it bad, I was MAD…. as in madly smitten with the sweet and salty cajeta drenched chocolate flan that I had to do something grandiose as a gesture of my amor.  I made this video so lovers around the world could unite and  find themselves in the arms of a delicious flan!  HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Ingredients for Salted Cajeta Chocolate Flan:

• Non- stick baking spray
• 1/2 – cup cajeta
• 1 – 7.6 ounce Nestle’s Media Crema
• 12 – ounce semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 – large eggs
• 4 – ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 – 14 ounce can of  Nestle’s La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 – 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Spray a 12 cup budnt pan with non stick spray.
2. Pour cajeta evenly into bundt pan. Set to the side.
3. In a medium sauce pan over a medium flame add Media Crema and chocolate chips and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Add eggs, cream cheese, La Lechera, evaporated milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend till smooth.  Then add in the chocolate mixture and blend till combined.
5.  Pour flan mixture over the cajeta filled bundt pan.
6. Cover the bundt pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place inside a large pyrex baking dish.  Pour hot water into the pyrex baking dish to fill up half way.
7. Then place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
8. Once out of the oven, remove from water bath and uncover to allow cooling.  Run a small knife around the edge to ensure it from sticking.
9. Let the flan rest for two hours then flip it over onto a plate.  Slowly lift pan up away from plate.
10. Place in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight.
11. Sprinkle top with sea salt right before serving.
12. ENJOY!

Thank you with my entire heart and gratitude to my most awesome crew! I sincerely love you guys big.

Directors:  Mando Lopez and James Ford

Director of Photography:  Tony Molina

Producer:  Lacey Reilly

 Editor:  James Ford

Set Design:  Mando Lopez

On-set morale booster: Kristen Warren

Sound:  Adriana Sanchez

Equipment: Paul Hopkins

Opening Music: Anger Bros

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nestle, the recipe and opinions are completely my own. 

It’s not everyday that I can say my recipes are in a new free EBOOK. Nor is it everyday that I get to celebrate CHOCOLATE with two of my dearest friends who love Chocolate as much as I do. Partners in chocolate obsession: Ericka Sanchez from Nibbles and Feasts, and Vianney Rodriguez from Sweet Life. Each one of us contributed 3 recipes (mine are pictured above) find all 9 delicious chocolate recipes here!   HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!!!

I’ve been on Super Bowl menu mode for the last two weeks or so. Yup lots of snackas for the big game going on right here. I’m a finger food type of gal and like things you can snack on easily. Here is my SB game day food….. May the best team win! Click below for the recipes!

• Football Tostada
• Tapatio Lemon Chicken Wings
• Queso Fundido Potato Skins
• Chorizo Bean Dip
• Bacon wrapped Pistachio Cheese stuffed Dates
• Spicy Sausage Avocado Shrimp EggRolls

I made agua de tamarindo today and thought why not post it on my blog? I never post my delicious aguas, then as I was about to put it here, I realized I should put in on Babble’s The Family Kitchen, cuz they don’t have an agua de tamarindo there either. Oh what the heck, I’ll post it in both places, but find the recipe on Babble, by clicking here! Enjoy!

I made this recipe for the first time about 6 years ago. I found myself in a strange house a top the hill in Mount Washington. My Aunt Brilla was here in Los Angeles visiting, and had rented this beautiful home, it being my first time in this kitchen made cooking a little difficult since I had no idea where anything was. I searched the drawers and cabinets and could only find a baking dish, a sharp knife and a frying pan.  We had a house full of visitors who had come by to see my Aunt since she’s not in town that often and many of them were vegetarians. I thought fast on my feet and started frying up some cubed potatoes to make a vegetable stuffing for the pile of bell peppers a friend had brought over. Simple. Delicious. Easy to make. I stuffed the peppers popped them in the oven for 45 to an hour and by the time they were done so was the rest of the meal.

Ingredients for Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers:

• 3 – Idaho Potatoes (peeled, diced into cubes and fried til crisp and cooked through)
• 1/2 – cup cheddar cheese (cubed)
• 1/2 – cup pepper jack cheese (cubed)
• 1/2 – cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 3/4 – cup tomato (chopped into small cubes)
• 1 – onion (sliced)
• 8 – mushrooms (chopped into quarters)
• 2 – tablespoons butter
• 10 – fresh basil leaves (torn into pieces)
• 4 – slices of rosemary bread (toasted and cut into cubes)
• 1 – tablespoon garlic (minced)
• 1/2 – vegetable broth
• 10 – bell peppers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to   degrees Fahrenheit
2. Fry potatoes and once cooked remove from flame and set to the side.
3. Cut cheeses, and tomatoes and set to the side.
4. In a frying pan add butter and saute onion and mushrooms together for about 10 minutes or until onions are limp. Remove from heat and set to the side.
5. Toast Rosemary bread and cut into cubes. Set to the side.
6. In a large bowl add potatoes, cheeses, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms, basil leaf pieces, toast, and garlic. Mix well. Then pour broth over top and mix again. Set stuffing mixture to the side.
7. Wash and dry bell peppers. Then cut off tops of bell peppers (reserve tops to the side) and remove seeds and veins from the inside. Set to the side.
8. Place empty bell peppers in a baking dish, then once they are snug take a huge spoonful of stuffing mixture and fill to the top. Then top each pepper with the top. 
9. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Well folks, it looks like it’ll be the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Baltimore Ravens for the Super Bowl this year.  I have to be totally honest here and say that my interesest in football is about as equal to a snowman looking forward to the summer.  BUT, pretty much everyone else in my life that are close to me are hardcore NFL fans and live to argue every Sunday about bad calls, great plays and what the latest scores are, starting from the Fall to early Feb.

My only enthusiasm in this pigskin sport is of course, the FOOD!   I love to make side dishes, appetizers, main courses and lots and lots of desserts on Sundays for my loved one’s to shove down their throats as they scream at the TV.  I take old classic dishes that are regulars at living-room games and put my own twist on them.  They’re almost always a victory with my peeps and I know they appreciate something a little different than the typical foods they usually grub on.

Check out my spin on the Sunday football standard,  Chicken Wings.  Forget about the Niners and the Ravens…. GO HOT WINGS!!!

Ingredients for Lemon and Tapatío Chicken Wings:

• 3- lbs chicken wings and drumettes
• 1 – cup flour
• 2 – tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 – tablespoon ground pepper
• 1/2 – tablespoon salt
• 5 – cups vegetable oil
• 4 – tablespoons butter (melted)
• 1/2 – cup lemon juice
• 1/3 – cup tapatío
• 1 – tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken with a paper towel. Set to the side.
2. Mix flour, corn starch, ground pepper, and salt in a bowl. Mix well and add chicken to flour mixture. Toss to coat. Shake the flour from chicken, and place on a cooling rack.
3. In a frying pan over a medium flame add oil and allow to get hot (350 degrees fahrenheit) add in chicken and fry for 14 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Remove from oil and set to the side.
4. In a bowl add butter, lemon, tapatío, and sugar. Mix well. Then toss wings in sauce.
5. Place on a plate and eat hot.
6. ENJOY!